In 1954, a Mosman fisherman caught what was initially thought to be a sea serpent due to its enormous size. Not surprisingly, the 12-ft long giant sea creature immediately caught worldwide attention.
Local fisherman Keith McRae set out to fish one balmy June morning at Balmoral Beach in 1954, hoping to catch some flathead. When he felt a tug on the line, he was pleased to be going home with something for the family’s dinner. But what would emerge from the waters was something the 40-something father and seasoned fisherman did not expect.
At the end of his handline was a 12-foot pale grey sea creature with a ferocious-looking head. It had no scales. It did, however, have a set of feelers about two feet long. On its back was a two-inch red crest of slender spines that extended from its head to its tail.
It didn’t take long for his incredible catch to make headlines across the globe, marvelling at the ‘sea serpent’ from Australian waters.
“When I’m fishing, I expect to catch anything, but this really rocked me,” Keith told reporters, adding that the sea creature didn’t struggle as it was being hauled in.
Photo Credit: Wm. Leo Smith, Public domain / Wikimedia Commons
The Curator of Fishes of the Australian Museum would later identify Keith’s catch as a giant oarfish, a species that is believed to be capable of growing up to 40 feet. These creatures are thought to be a rare species due to their “shy” nature. Little is known about them.
Also known as ribbon fish, king of herrings, Pacific oarfish, and streamer fish, the giant oarfish lives in the depths the ocean. They normally feed on krill, zooplankton, squids, shrimps and other small fishes.
In June 2022, 68 years after Keith McRae’s catch, a snorkelling guide on the Great Barrier Reef had a rare encounter with a juvenile oarfish. Captured on video, Tahn Miller and marine biologist Jorja Gilmore described the slender fish to be about 1.5-m including the long fins. An expert in oarfish later confirmed that it was a Regalecus russelli, a species of oarfish that can grow up to 8 metres long.
